Wood has gotten ridiculously expensive if you are forced to buy at end user stores. At the same time the quality you get has gone down. At least where I live. Ply wood has large chunks missing in the surface that have been fixed and hollow spots. Noting you can put wax on or clear coat. Fiber board is rough as sand paper, in the past at least one side was fine sanded from the factory. MDF is often so bend, you have to re shape it for weeks until you can use it.
I have an alternative, that may be interesting for some DIYS guys here.
Since I have a low priced circular saw with a long guide rail for cutting perfectly straight lines, I have started to use old furniture and panels from all kinds of sources for my builds. I collect clean, usable material, cut of the unusable excess and store it.
Lately for example I got 12 doors from an old living room closet wall in different sizes, veneered in wonderful cocobolo. With some careful planing how to cut, I will build a large subwoofer from it.
If you ask, there are always people which are happy to get old furniture or left over building material picked up, as they may have to pay otherwise for it.
Recently I bought a table saw in a close out for 105€, which is perfect for smaller cut's which are more complicated with the guide rail.
It has paid for it self in short time, as I do not have to drive to the hardware store that often anymore.
There is one problem I want to address: Used panels may have screws or nails hidden, which can ruin a saw blade. If you are in DIYS you probably have an electronic line finder. I use it in the metal setting to check before I cut.
I have an alternative, that may be interesting for some DIYS guys here.
Since I have a low priced circular saw with a long guide rail for cutting perfectly straight lines, I have started to use old furniture and panels from all kinds of sources for my builds. I collect clean, usable material, cut of the unusable excess and store it.
Lately for example I got 12 doors from an old living room closet wall in different sizes, veneered in wonderful cocobolo. With some careful planing how to cut, I will build a large subwoofer from it.
If you ask, there are always people which are happy to get old furniture or left over building material picked up, as they may have to pay otherwise for it.
Recently I bought a table saw in a close out for 105€, which is perfect for smaller cut's which are more complicated with the guide rail.
It has paid for it self in short time, as I do not have to drive to the hardware store that often anymore.
There is one problem I want to address: Used panels may have screws or nails hidden, which can ruin a saw blade. If you are in DIYS you probably have an electronic line finder. I use it in the metal setting to check before I cut.
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Reuse is good and green.
I re-use old pc cases for my amplifiers.
They have mountings for mains and fans already in them.
I can still get wood at ok prices from local B&Q DIY store.
I re-use old pc cases for my amplifiers.
They have mountings for mains and fans already in them.
I can still get wood at ok prices from local B&Q DIY store.
Around here, any furniture with wood of a good enough quality to build speakers with costs more than the plywood I'd normally use.
Great if you can find it at the dump though... I could picture someone turning a dining room table into a subwoofer enclosure 🙂
Great if you can find it at the dump though... I could picture someone turning a dining room table into a subwoofer enclosure 🙂
The case for my 845 amp came from a discarded table too.
I have lots of Oak from dining tables and entertainment centers stored in my basement. Kids these days are chucking that dining room table they inherited from their grandparents. Also some of those maple or oak shelves.
Might as well be turned into something useful.
I have lots of Oak from dining tables and entertainment centers stored in my basement. Kids these days are chucking that dining room table they inherited from their grandparents. Also some of those maple or oak shelves.
Might as well be turned into something useful.
Further to this. I have a set of 2 10” and a set of 4 AlNiCo Sansui (Atomix?) 8”. Just pulled out the drawer unit my Dad built into the bathroom. > 40 year old plywood, and already have 5 sides (althou i have to fix the bottom). Also some >50 year old ply from an old wardrobe.
3 push-push woofers to come.
dave
3 push-push woofers to come.
dave
One word: piano. Ridiculously expense to move, hard to sell (partly for the first point) so available. Check YouTube as they're easier to disassemble than you'd think.
I've picked by the side of the road; non speaker unfinished ply cabinets on a couple occasions. Second yield almost enough to build a set of Castles! Usually there's a spot or two where some animal made its nest, or a cat mistook it for a litter box ... I've even got picky, like J Geils says (actually Peter) "First I look at the purse". Which translates to I look to see if it's plywood; most is MDF, if so I leave for the next picker.
Having sent so much of it to the dump, used office furniture may be worth a look. Corporations are as slavish to fashion as anyone.